Cooling water temps

[drsteve2001]

Just a question on how people cool their water temp. Currently my water temp sits at 80-82...i live in buffalo NY where it is cold during the winter months andremp in house is 70. since last summer bought a 250w halide on my 54 gal so my concern is that during the warm summer months when temp in house is 76( only have ac in bedroom not living room) it will raise water temp to high. Cooling units are to $$$. Will buying a clip on fan work. My halide only has on fan, i use egg crate as my cover

 

[srfisher17]

Small fans, blowing over the surface, do a better job than I would have expected. I guess you'll have to wait until summer to see what your temps are. I may be in the minority; but IMO & IME, temps slightly above 80-82 are no problem at all.

 

[florida joe]

only problem is that you are operating at the high end of the scale and any malfunction in your equipment that can cause a temp spike can cook your tank in a short period of time

 

[meowzer]

I habe MH on my 225G, and live in Oklahoma and it gets very hot here...I have 2 4" fans on both sides of the top, and a 6" fan under the cabinet blowing the sump water
Worked for me last year anyway....
AND NO LIDS...I use eggcrate on top

 

[gill again68]

If you can wire them, not that hard really, computer fans will make for nice cooling fans. I have 2 80mm fans on the sump and 1 120mm fan in my canopy. Keeps me right at 79. One of my fans quit and its still keeping cool for now. I want to go get a silent fan as the 80mm sound like an airboat

 

[aquaknight]

Yep, just the basics like above. Add fans, increase turbulence on the water surface to help with cooling.
If need be try reducing your lighting period (how long you running anyways?). Also consider breaking up the lighting period. 4hrs. lights on, 1hr off, 4 more hours on.

 

[saxman]

you could also run your lighting at night when you're home to view the tank. the fish don't care, and its cooler in the evening.
if you run fans (which do work), be prepared for increased top-up frequency due to accelerated evaporation.
that being said, you can't beat the peace of mind you get from a chiller. yes, they're a bit pricy, but your tank's temp won't budge. IIRC, we're currently running six units, and they're worth every penny.

 

[xcali1985]

Agreed. I run a chiller and temp is the last thing I worry about with my tank. Sometimes I forget to check it as part of my daily look overs. If you do get a chiller purchase one with a heater attachment and it will both heat and cool the water. Your livestock should love the constant temp also.
I purchase corals and within 2 hours they are fully open. I've seen it take dats for corals to open in some other tanks. 1/2 I say is from drip acclimation another is keeping corals in their natural temp range 72-76 degrees.

 

[ibanez]

I have heard of someone who had a chiller malfunction which caused their heater to be on 24/7 which caused huge huge electrical bills for about 2 months before they caught it. But if your observant, that could be avoided.

 

[saxman]

Originally Posted by IbanEz
http:///forum/post/3247263
I have heard of someone who had a chiller malfunction which caused their heater to be on 24/7 which caused huge huge electrical bills for about 2 months before they caught it. But if your observant, that could be avoided.
we use a separate heater and altho we let the chiller control it, the internal thermostat on the heater is set just a couple of degrees higher than the chiller temp controller, so there's redundancy.
also, one should check their water temp at least daily...

 

[xcali1985]

Originally Posted by saxman
http:///forum/post/3247280
we use a separate heater and altho we let the chiller control it, the internal thermostat on the heater is set just a couple of degrees higher than the chiller temp controller, so there's redundancy.
also, one should check their water temp at least daily...
Yes, most chillers (at least mine does) should have a digital temp readout. Like I said mine is steady every time I check.

 

[chaseter]

Originally Posted by saxman
http:///forum/post/3247220
you could also run your lighting at night when you're home to view the tank. the fish don't care, and its cooler in the evening.
if you run fans (which do work), be prepared for increased top-up frequency due to accelerated evaporation.
that being said, you can't beat the peace of mind you get from a chiller. yes, they're a bit pricy, but your tank's temp won't budge. IIRC, we're currently running six units, and they're worth every penny.
Actually, it is the hottest in the evening. At around 4-6, that is when it is the hottest because the surface has had more time in the sun and it accumulates until the sun begins to set.
So, running your tank lights in the morning until the afternoon would be the easiest way to keep your tank cool. For instance; 7am-3pm. But, all living things have an internal clock so messing around with lighting times can screw up your little ecosystem.

 

[drsteve2001]

Originally Posted by meowzer
http:///forum/post/3247160
I habe MH on my 225G, and live in Oklahoma and it gets very hot here...I have 2 4" fans on both sides of the top, and a 6" fan under the cabinet blowing the sump water
Worked for me last year anyway....
AND NO LIDS...I use eggcrate on top
So do you point the fans at the water or at the halide?

 

[meowzer]

Originally Posted by drsteve2001
http:///forum/post/3253017
So do you point the fans at the water or at the halide?
I have the fans positioned so they blow over the water

 

[socalnano24]

Originally Posted by chaseter
http:///forum/post/3248263
Actually, it is the hottest in the evening. At around 4-6, that is when it is the hottest because the surface has had more time in the sun and it accumulates until the sun begins to set.
So, running your tank lights in the morning until the afternoon would be the easiest way to keep your tank cool. For instance; 7am-3pm. But, all living things have an internal clock so messing around with lighting times can screw up your little ecosystem.
No offense chase but I have to completely disagree. Most houses will absorb heat throughout the day and be the hottest by around 5 or 6 in the evening. (as you said). However if your tank lights have been heating up your water from 7 am - 3pm, your tank will already be warm before it gets the additional sun heat.
Now your saying, well if you turn your lights on at 6 it will be the same way but opposite. However most of us get off work and open up our houses in the evening, which should cool off the house dramatically and therefor the additional heat from the lights should be less detrimental at that point while the house is opened up and cooling ideally (or at least not getting extra sun heating)